Use a cracked pot and a plastic bag for azalea cuttings: high survival rate and easy propagation of a big potful

For azalea cuttings, you can choose some semi-lignified branches of the current year, insert them and water thoroughly right away, then place them in a spot with diffused light and wait for them to root. Actually, the cutting method for azaleas is about the same as for camellias

After the azalea finishes blooming, the new branches that grow from the leaf axils below the spent flowers are the most suitable for cuttings. Once the branches have hardened a little, just snap them off and use them for cuttings directly

For the cutting medium, we can use plain soil for rooting, such as river sand, perlite, vermiculite, etc. We can also root them directly in soil, but the soil must be loose and airy

The cutting soil I often use is one I mix myself, using leaf mold dug from outside, large-particle river sand, and then blending in some garden soil, in a 2:1:1 ratio

Every year I take many cuttings of small azalea seedlings. Put the soil in a cracked washbasin, water it thoroughly, insert the branches, then cover the pot with a large plastic bag, poke a few holes in the bag for ventilation

Place it in a spot with diffused light and good ventilation. Every four or five days, ventilate it again, water it thoroughly once, then cover it again. Repeat this, and after about a month the azaleas will have rooted and sprouted new growth, and then they can gradually receive light

These newly rooted azalea seedlings all grow very fast. These are all azalea seedlings I propagated myself, and they can bloom the next year.